Here was a problem which called for instant decision. If I turned back, the suspicion of the soldiers would be instantly aroused, and if I crossed the road so as not to pass so closely to them, they might be equally suspicious. I decided to march bravely by the Huns, bluff my way through, and trust to Providence. If anybody imagines, however, that I was at all comfortable as I approached those soldiers, he must think that I am a much braver man than I claim to be. My heart beat so loud I was afraid they would hear it. Every step I took brought me so much nearer to what might prove to be the end of all my hopes. It was a nerve-racking ordeal. I was now within a few feet of them. Another step and-- They didn't turn a hair! I passed right by them--heard what they were saying, although, of course, I didn't understand it, and went right on. I can't say I didn't walk a little faster as I left them behind, but I tried to maintain an even gait so as not to give them any idea of the inward exultation I was experiencing. No words can explain, however, how relieved I really felt--to know that I had successfully passed through the first of a series of similar tests which I realized were in store for me--although I did not know then how soon I was to be confronted with the second. As it was, however, the incident gave me a world of confidence. It demonstrated to me that there was nothing in my appearance, at any rate, to attract the attention of the German soldiers. Apparently I looked like a Belgian peasant, and if I could only work things so that I would never have to answer questions and thus give away my nationality, I figured I would be tolerably safe. As I marched along I felt so happy I couldn't help humming the air of one of the new patriotic songs that we used to sing at the aerodrome back of Ypres. In this happy fame of mind I covered the next three miles in about an hour, and then I came to another little village. My usual course would have been to go around it--through fields, backyards, woods, or whatever else lay in my way--but I had gained so much time by going through the last village instead of detouring around it, and my appearance seemed to be so unsuspicious, that I decided to try the same stunt again. I stopped humming and kept very much on the alert, but, apart from that, I walked boldly through the main street without any feeling of alarm. I had proceeded perhaps a mile along the main street when I noticed ahead of me three German soldiers standing at the curb. Again my heart started to beat fast, I must confess, but I was not nearly so scared as I had been an hour or so before. I walked ahead, determined to follow my previous procedure in every particular. I had got to about fifteen feet away from the soldiers when one of them stepped onto the sidewalk and shouted: "Halt!"